Philippians 4:13

¨I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.¨
Philippians 4:13

I went to 3 Pentecostal church services on Sunday, one right after the other and each one lasted at least a couple hours. I was invited to play my mandolin and sing ´´Yo te Busco´´ (I Seak You) in front of the church. That was definitely an honor, but what was much more fulfilling was what happened later in the service. Everyone was worshiping when I saw a guy stumble in off the street obviously drunk or on drugs. I felt called to go talk with him and when I did, he smelled of alcohol and he later told me that he had been using cocain as well. He told me that he was passing by and felt a call to walk in the church. We talked for over an hour and I shared with him my testimony and the gospel and the freedom that we have in Christ from sin. He shared with me about his life and all the things that he is involved in. He confessed that he has killed people and that there are many who are trying to kill him. But he said that before they do, he would like to clean up his life. I told him that it is impossible to do it on your own and that it is only possible through Christ as it says in Philippians 3. We prayed together for Christ to enter his heart and to begin working in is life. I also told him that I wanted to talk with him more when he is not drunk and drugged and he promised me that he would remain clean to be clear minded when we met again. I got is cell number and called him the next day, but haven´t been able to get a hold of him. His name is Juan Jose and please pray that he will seek the Lord with all his heart and that God will work powerfully in his life. Also pray that I will get to meet with him again before I leave for El Salvador. Juan Jose is in the picture to the right.

Another similar story. Yesterday I climbed up a small mountain to get a good view of the town and also to pray, but God had other plans for me. There were three guys already up there and they were drinking, using drugs, and huffing glue. It was such a sad sight and I felt burdened to share with them. The one that was the most out of it was only 19 years old and I could barely understand anything he said. We sat talking for a while and after a few attempts to transition into a spiritual conversation without success, I prayed for God to open the door to share with them. Then one of them asked me to give him my ring that had a cross on it(probably to sell and get more drugs). I asked him if he knew what it meant, and then shared with them what the ring meant to me. We talked for a while, but unlike Juan Jose, they were not ready to recieve the life saving message of Christ. Please pray for them as well and that God would continue working in their hearts and that their satisfaction would not be found in this world.

A Change of Scenery

The week before I left on this journey, I was at the outer banks for my sister´s wedding where we stayed in nice houses with pools, hot tubs, pool tables, huge beds, and big LCD TV´s in every room. The scenery has changed quite a bit since then. I have been staying in a different place almost every night and most don´t have electricity and a few houses don´t even have running water. I sleep on the floor on top of my sleeping bag and ground pad because it is too hot to sleep covered up even though it exposes me to the mesquitos and giant cockroaches. And even though I have mesquito bites head to toe, and shower from a bucket of water, I am loving every bit of it!!! It is a big change, but I am learning so many new things, having advendures every day, and I have already seen God do some amazing things! Ill write about a couple of them.




I learned to make tortillas over a wood fire. So far, all the cooking has been done over wood fires like this one.

I also learned to prepare fish from the ocean. It is a lot more complicated than just cutting it open and pulling the guts out! Fresh fish is so delicious, but I think my hands still smell like fish.

I have also tried so many differnet kinds of fruit and some I had never heard of before. I have eaten mangos, papaya, coconuts, oranges, hicaco, and many others that I don´t remember the names of. But all of them came straight from the tree or ground. The picture to the left is when I learded to cut open a coconut with a machetti. The picture below is of some gourd-like thing that I can´t remember the name of.

I have also seen so many different animals that pretty much go where they want and live in the houses as well. Here are some pictures of them: (Turkey, Baby Goat, Pig, and Crab)

And the Journey Begins...

I can´t believe that just the night before last, I was in my bed at home. I feel like so much has happened since I left. Ill start from the beginning. I finished packing at 2:30am tuesday morning, woke up at 5am to go to the airport, and then flew to Miami on the same flight as my sister and her husband on the way to their honeymoon (complete coincidence I promise). I then flew to San Pedro Sula, Honduras after being told by the man at the check in desk that I wouldn´t be allowed through customs unless I had a return ticket. I told him that I would take my chances and just pray that I get through... and I did. I then met Victor, a pastor from Honduras, his wife, Justancia, and their 2 year old daughter Eliabeth (Ill post a picture when I get a chance) and we drove 2 hours to Victor´s home town called La Entrada. I met the family, went to honduran birthday party, and then to a prayer meeting at his church. I got more stories, but no more time to write. But I do feel like I hit the ground running. I am really excited about the road ahead!

My Last Day at Home

I leave for Honduras in about 4 hours!!! I am pretty exhausted and not completely packed yet, and when I probably should be freaking out, I instead have sense of peace about everything. So I thought that I would take a break from packing and write about it although I am half delirious. I can always sleep on the plane.

Today, my last day in the US for a while, has been pretty crazy getting last minute details taken care of, but it has also been so encouraging. The day started out with a text message from my good friend Flor in Argentina, who sent me some scripture verses that would help me on my journey. Here are a couple of them that I really liked:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save." ~ Zephaniah 3:17

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." ~Hebrews 12:1-3

The first two verses I really like because it assures me that God will be with me on every step of this journey, even when I feel alone and home sick. And not only that, but it reminds me that I serve a powerful God who can move mountains, and split oceans, and change the hearts of men. There is nothing that God can’t do. All I need to do is fix my eyes on Christ and He will take care of everything else.

The day ended with getting to see and be prayed for by some of my closest friends. It was a very bittersweet moment, praising God to have such great friends, but also realizing how much I am going to miss them!

The Jump

I distinctly remember the first time that I ever jumped off the high diving board at the pool where I grew up. I was probably 4 or 5 years old and at that age, 3 meters is like a sky scraper and I was really scared, but I really wanted to do it! I remember standing up there on the edge of the diving board looking way down in the water where my dad was waiting, treading water with his arms extended up telling me to jump and that I could do it. I don’t remember how many times we counted to 3 together without me fulfilling my end of the bargain. My legs were shaking uncontrollably and the more I put off the jump, the more scared I got and the harder it became to do it. But then my dad told me, “Trust me! I would never let anything bad happen to you!” This was my dad who loves me more than anything in the world and I believed him and I trusted that it would be alright. So I mustered up all the strength I had left in my shaking legs and took the leap of faith! It was amazing and I have never looked back since!

If I had not trusted my father’s words that day and given into my fears, I would have missed out on an amazing adventure and many more exhilarating jumps to follow. In fact, I became quite good at it and was even on the diving team in high school! Well the point of telling this story is that I feel that this journey is another leap of faith like that one. Many times in my life, I have felt God’s call to jump and He has never, not once let me down. He says “trust me”, and when I have responded in faith, the result was more amazing than I ever imagined! I have learned to trust His word and call in my life. Right now, my father in heaven is calling me to leap on a journey down to Central and South America, and I plan on running off this diving board as fast as I can because I know that He is going to do great things both through me and also in my heart!

What is the Purpose of this journey?

1. Take a leap of faith and trusting God with the results.
2. To serve the Lord full time in Latin America in any way that He leads me.
3. Get to know different ministries through out Central and South America with the possibility of returning for a longer period of time if God so calls.
4. To be stretched, challenged, and even humbled through trials resulting in a deeper love for Christ.
5. Not come back the same man I am today.

Why the journey?

Why not? I am out of school, I don’t have a family to support, I am currently not working, I have no debt, I have been able to save up some money from my last job, I don’t pay a mortgage or rent (thanks mom and dad),… in other words, I will never be as free as I am right now. So why not go? If I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity, I would regret it for the rest of my life!